We’ve known, of course, since the season premiere, that we were headed toward a violent, kitchen-decimating alteraction between Hannibal Lecter and Jack Crawford, one in which the titular serial killer would nearly be choked to death and one that would leave the FBI honcho with a shard of glass in his neck, before locking himself in Lecter’s wine closet.

What we couldn’t have foreseen was Alana Bloom being hurled out a second story window (by a resurrected Abigail Hobbs!) and to the concrete walkway below; Will Graham arriving on the scene and promptly getting gutted by Dr. Lecter (and I’m not talkin’ emotionally gutted); Abigail playing the role of sacrificial lamb (a punishment for Will’s sins); and Jack’s blood flowing so copiously that it dripped into the basement below.

Oh, and none of the above counts as the episode’s biggest bombshell — the payoff to the clock ticking we’d heard throughout the hour. (Hope you stuck around after the closing credits!)

Let’s do a quick recap of the action (and don’t forget to check back Tuesday for my Q&A/Season 3 preview with the delightfully twisted executive producer Bryan Fuller).

SPLIT LOYALTIES | We open with Hannibal sending a gorgeously handwritten invite to Jack — Dr. Hannibal Lecter Requests the Pleasure of Your Company for Dinner (so cheeky!) — followed by intersecting conversations between Will/Hannibal and Will/Jack. Our addled profiler offers intel to both of his “buddies” in advance of the main event. “He’ll try to kill you in the kitchen — for convenience. Make it easier to prepare the tartare,” he tells Jack (who’s planning to have plenty of backup on standby). Meanwhile, Will warns Hannibal that Jack won’t be easy to kill. “When the moment comes,” Hannibal and Will both ask, their faces morphing into a horrifying split-screen mask, “will you do what needs to be done?” Will replies, to both, “Oh yes.” And the game is on…

DEATHBED AND THE MAIDEN | Hannibal swings by to see Bella, who seems a little ambivalent about forgiving the good doctor for thwarting her suicide, for “moving [her] punctuation mark, for [moving] her meaning.” She asks, however, that he watch out for Jack after she’s died — not realizing that Hannibal intends for her hubby to precede her!

A HINT OF GINGER RUINS THE RECIPE | Will and Hannibal, who’ve made plans to escape together after Jack’s last supper, dismantle evidence of the therapist’s old life and burn his patient files. But as Bedelia warned last week, Lecter’s the smartest guy in the room, and he catches a whiff of Freddie Lounds on Will’s skin, the same Freddie Lounds that Will supposedly murdered and set on fire — cementing their relationship in the process. (Hannibal’s realization — and his haunting mind’s-eye image of Freddie — will stick in my brain forever.) Later, over dinner, Hannibal asks Will how he’d feel about confessing his crimes and getting Jack’s forgiveness. “He’s not offering that,” Jack replies. “He wants the truth.” And Hannibal lobs back a chilling statement that sets the tone for all that comes after it: “To the truth, then, and all its consequences.”

THE BEST LAID PLANS… | On the eve of Jack’s final chess move, his boss Kade Prurnell drops in and puts him on forced compassionate leave — arguing that his enticement of Hannibal Lecter to commit murder represents entrapment, won’t lead to a conviction (true, but does Jack really intend for this to end in a courtroom?) and is ultimately “outrageous government conduct.” After reviewing his files, she puts out a warrant for Will and Jack’s arrests — but let’s be honest, it’s just a plot device to make sure Jack doesn’t have any backup, and that Will and Jack are forced to act fast (before they’re thrown in the clink). Alana, learning of Prurnell’s plans, tips off Will. And as the FBI rolls up to his house, Will dials Hannibal and offers his own warning: “They know.” (Question I’m dying to know: WHY did Will make the call? Was he truly hoping Hannibal might make an early escape? Or were there other possible motives?)

SOUP’S ON! | Slow clap for director David Slade for creating such a visually sumptuous final course. Jack’s reflection appearing on Hannibal’s kitchen knife. Hannibal observing his own reflection against the blade. The brilliant redness of the meat on the cutting board. And Mads Mikkelsen and Laurence Fishburne loading every single word of the script with significance, too. “The most beautiful quality of a true friendship is to understand and be understood with absolute clarity,” says Hannibal, ruefully. To which Jack replies, “Then this is the clearest moment of our friendship.” He draws his gun. Hannibal is faster, hurling a knife that lodges in Jack’s hand, then leaping over the island like a sociopathic gazelle at the start of an epic fight to the death.

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL? | Alana arrives on the scene, smart enough to dial 9-1-1 at the sight of Hannibal’s half-open front door, but not smart enough to stay out in the relative safety of a torrential downpour. (“Alana, you in danger, girl!”) Jack, meanwhile, gets a kitchen towel around Hannibal’s neck, hoists his rival’s back onto his back, and begins to choke him using Hannibal’s own body weight. But in one final reversal, Hannibal grabs a piece of shattered glass, impales Jack’s neck and then (after Jack scrambles into the very impressive wine closet) begins vigorously leaping into the door to break it down. (Absolutely terrifying, somehow, even after watching a million madmen pull this exact same maneuver, no?) That’s when Alana spies Hannibal, and Hannibal spies Alana, telling her to “be blind, don’t be brave,” and he’ll let her walk. But instead, she fires her gun, the gun from which Hannibal’s already removed the bullets. She races upstairs — a direct violation of Horror Scene Survival 101 — and bumps into… ABIGAIL, down one ear but not down a life. And then Abigail HURLS ALANA OUT THE FREAKIN’ WINDOW. It’s a long, long, glass-and-rain-and-blood-drops infused fall — a most beautiful (possible) death. And finally, Will is on the scene, rushing into the house, frozen in shock by the sight of Abigail, the pseudo-daughter he thought he’d failed to save. “I didn’t know what else to do, so I just did what he told me,” she weeps.

ABSOLUTELY GUTTED | “You were supposed to leave,” Will says to Hannibal. “We couldn’t leave without you,” Lecter replies, cradling Will’s face in his hands (perhaps for a second, the fulfillment of something homoerotic?), and then driving a small, curved blade into his soul mate’s stomach. “Time did reverse. The teacup that I shattered did come together. A place was made for Abigail in your world. You understand?” Hannibal asks, revealing the depths of his madness, and the depths to which his love/loyalty/friendship/trust for Will had gone. “A place was made for all of us, together. I wanted to suprise you,” Hannibal notes with regret, and then adds with a hint of spite, “And you wanted to surprise me.” The truth is out, and all its consequences must now come to bear. “I let you know me, see me,” Hannibal tells Will. “I gave you a rare gift, but you didn’t want it.” And because it’s the only way left that he can hurt Will, Hannibal calls Abigail to his side and slits her throat, blood spraying, pumping so ferociously, it’s almost art. Will sees the dark stag groan and take its final breath on the kitchen floor, and Hannibal makes his exit past his many victims, into the rainy night.

LEAVING, ON A JET PLANE | After the credits roll, we see a jetliner taking off, flight attendants offering champagne or orange juice (in French) to pampered passengers. We know we’re about to see Hannibal, sipping on bubbly, but who’s that next to him? His own therapist Bedelia du Maurier (the incomparable Gillian Anderson), a woman both fascinated by and fearful of our shark-eyed antihero!? Is this the start of a bold new chapter or a trip to a Bermuda Triangle of “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” Thankfully, with NBC having greenlit Season 3, we’ll be able to find out. (I’m voting for the former option, obviously, how about you?)

What did you think of the Hannibal Season 2 finale? Take our poll below, then sound off in the comments! And feel free to stick around the site — just so you don’t have to be alone after an hour of TV that scary!Follow @MichaelSlezakTV

I think Lana will make it and Crawfard might but probably not. I very much doubt we’ll see Will in season 3. Season 3 should be a fresh start in a way. So, it’d be a mistake to bring him back. I’m super excited to see what they’ll do. I reckon Mason Verger will play a big role.

I don’t think you are wrong about Will not being back in Season 3. I think Bryan Fuller is pretty clear that he views this as a journey for both Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham. Besides, in the books, it says that Will Graham is the one who catches Hannibal.

If I know my TV, they’ll keep Will. His character is just too good and the actor who plays him is just too pivotal and iconic. I’d say at the very least even if he did pass they’d bring him in to the scenes with flashbacks. They left this open to so many possibilities that it’s hard to say, but yeah.

This is what Hugh Dancy said in an article published in the Daily Beast today,

“We will see who returns for Season 3. In the show, at this point we have an established tradition of people not dying when you think they’ve died, but there are only so many times you can get away with that. But the short answer is, yes, I am definitely back. And Laurence is back—per availability. He has a couple of other pots on the stove as far as other projects go, but there’s nobody on the show that doesn’t want him to come back. The show has to take on a pretty different shape at this point, I think.”

I’m DEFINITELY happy he’ll be back – he plays Will Graham so brilliantly!

I read an interview with Hugh Dancy on Daily Beast today, here’s what he said about Verger:

Q: I also loved Michael Pitt’s Mason Verger. When we last left him, Hannibal convinced the pig farmer to eat his own face. Are we going to see more of him in all his mangled glory?

Dancy: I think so. It will obviously be a reduced version of him now that he’s paralyzed and has no face, but he’s at least got a bucket-load of money. So the end of Season 2 is like the ending of The Silence of the Lambs, which then goes into the novel Hannibal, where Mason Verger features heavily since he and the FBI are the two groups pursuing him. So maybe! I don’t know.

The show really isn’t that good. It substitutes excessive gore for acting ability (see Jillian Anderson’s and Verger’s horrible acting). I’m only watching because it fits into the Silence of the Lambs storyline. If it departs from that, I’m out. Otherwise, it might as well be Dexter (what a terrible show that was).

Lawrence Fishbourne has a new show next fall. And they’ve killed Dr. Chilton already (at least he got shot in the forehead and looked pretty dead to me), and he was in Silence of the Lambs too. I don’t think Jack will survive. Or Alana. I think only Will.

Such an awesome finale. I loved the ticking clock-esque sounds in the background throughout the entire episode leading up to the fight. It’s the little touches like these that really elevate the show to art.

Crossed my mind that Abigail was alive when we saw what happened to Miriam Lass, and I figured Alana for dead as soon as she slept with Hannibal. Didn’t figure Bedelia accompanying Hannibal on the lam . . . that’s going to be real interesting for sure.

Fishbourne isn’t coming back for season 3 so I highly doubt Jack will live. Abigail is dead, no doubt about it, she was killed as punishment to Will. Alana I bet will probably survive and have a bigger role in season 3.

I agree…now I will be in withdrawals for a year to see what the hell happens. That there was even a hint that this intelligent, visually stunning, awesomely acted BEST SERIES would be renewed is sad! How can they not? It’s the best show on network television right now. Everything else is crap.

It’s super dark, extremely messed up, and frequently more than a little hard to look at because of the gross (yet amazing) visuals. It also features a lot of psychological navel-gazing and intellectual pontificating by the characters, which makes it talk-y at times, but it’s all rather interesting stuff if you follow it. It really isn’t a show you can just recommend to anyone, but it’s a show you can highly recommend to people who won’t be put off by what I just wrote above.

“The Good Wife” is like a procedural show but with greater interest in the leads – there are great, interesting court cases but the driving force is the lead. The writing is smart (although some minor characters had some less than stellar storylines). “Orphan Black” is fast paced, nature vs. nurture, science vs. religion, science-fiction, dramatic, amazingly acted, etc. And let’s be real “Orphan Black” wouldnt work if it had a male lead.

The Good Wife in my opinion has a viewership that breaks down less by gender than it does by age. It’s definitely a show for the older folks. I’m in the wrong demo for that one, and it shows everytime I try to sit down and force myself to enjoy it. Like another poster said, Hannibal and Orphan Black are more appropriate shows if you’re in the key demo. Orphan Black is rather overtly feminist, but not in a way that alienates non-women like a show like Girls (which is offensive to people of any gender, race, socioeconomic class, age, sexual preference, religion, or any other way you choose to classify people…. because Girls sucks).

Amazing hour of television, one of the finest I have ever seen. However, I disagree with Slezak that the arrest warrants were merely a plot device. The only false note of the season for me was just how unbelievable it was that Jack and Will’s charade was able to be carried on within FBI regulations. This episode justified my concerns by acknowledging that Will and Jack had engaged in desperate misconduct. I was gratified completely by this finale. It felt not only like a reward for watching a season of television, but also for watching the whole series. It was so good that I want to go back and watch each hour just to trace the manipulations across the 26 episodes.

Just hand anyone involved with this show all the Emmys and Golden Globes and any and every single possible award out there for television. Actors, directors, producers, production, design, writers, EVERYONE.

Great show, yes… But True Detective gets the awards. This best show on any of major networks tho, hands down. I will say the writing and Mads acting was just as good. Seriously people, watch True Detective. Only 8 episodes. Amazing.

I tried watching True Detective and was bored after 20 minutes, so much so that I can’t even remember what I saw. Maybe I’ll give it another go. But I still maintain that Hannibal needs all the awards. It is sheer perfection. ;-)

You and me both! I’m such a sucker for prestige dramas, and True Detective was not anything that could hold my interest for even 2 episodes. I think it’s the only critically acclaimed drama I can’t watch.

True Detective was and is very good, but you need to remember they (the writers) need to work with new stars, the cast will change. Can they bring back that kind of chemistry in the same vein as the season one True Detective had…… A bias opinion “The Bridge” it should also get a vote in there also. But Hannibal’s season closer was right up there with Dexter, so I will have to go with Hannibal this time. That’s not to say Hannibal is as good as Dexter but I think it’s the “Little Engine That Could”

Season 2 of Hannibal was way better than the best season of Dexter, which was season 4. Imo Hannibal has surpassed all of Dexter combined. I would even go as far as saying Hannibal has been better tv that the best of Breaking Bad!

Well we will have to agree to disagree. But let me point a few things up front. Dexter had what ? Eight seasons and only closed out because the star felt type cast, other wise the character would have live on. Plus the fan base that turned Dexter memorability into a cottage industry. They had there own section at Com-a-con. Also Dexter since its conception never teetered on the brink of cancellation as did Hannibal. Not that I would have agreed with that. As far as Breaking Bad I just could you get into it. I think it might have been the slow start …I should try …Ok in closing you do realize that we are all way to involved with TV shows I hope

Dexter was/is its own entity and can’t be compared to Hannibal except for both work with law enforcement and both are serial killers. Dexter tends to be more complex to me because of that. He’s got a conscious, he’s honed his craft and only goes after really bad people. Dex is humorous, human, relateably in a way Hannibal can really never be. Dexter has a valid reason to be the way he is…Hannibal really doesn’t…he’s just geniously evil.

The fanbase cannot be denied between the two of them either. Dexter was nominated and won awards. Hannibal struggles…which, doesn’t surprise me as it’s more intelligently written and you have to really focus on the show and think about what everyone is saying…etc. Not in this world of distraction and reality tv.

I WISH Hannibal would catch on and remain on a major tv network because I don’t want to see it end. I love the intricacies in a very complex, intelligent, devious character…it’s fun peeking inside the heads of others.

I think I would have needed to be institutionalized if this show hadn’t been renewed. This was truly one of the best season finales, ever. Only like 7 or 8 characters had lines, but each line was a work of art.

Boy am I glad I watched this live; something I don’t do for any show. The finale was just exquisite. That last scene had me yell out “Jesus Christ on a bicycle!” It was that unbelievable to me. I’ll be keeping myself busy trying to figure out what Dr. Bedelia was thinking.

THANK YOU!!!! They took forever! As Hannibal was leaving his house I was like, “Come on… police show up… SHOW UP” like Hannibal thinking he got away with it then getting arrested but nope. He just got away with it! I am so pissed Hannibal was able to outsmart everybody but that just mean it was be an even more joyful moment when he finally is caught. I think I only took like three breathes the entire last half hour. And I am sad they brought Abigail back just to kill her again. I totally knew she wasn’t dead. Such a amazing finally. I am so glad Bryan Fuller is actually able to do a show for more than 2 seasons because he is my favorite show creator.

I love the show but that was bad. Really bad. Like from a bad slasher flick. And “I took you bullets” was about as cliched as one could get. It was a really good finale for a great show but there were a couple of groan worthy moments that the movie “Scream” would have liked to parody. It’s still better than 99% of TV though and the twist ending was a nice touch. Not sure they have a show without Will. It’s the ying and yang of that relationship that takes the show to its lofty perch.

I think not having the police show up was a sensible decision on Fuller’s part.

Hannibal is certainly capable of dispatching a couple of policemen – much like those FBI agents in Chilton’s house. With that in mind, police (or paramedics) showing up would only have added to the bodycount.
But more than that, this episode ended with Hannibal leaving everyone who knew him broken and bleeding. A couple of random corpses in the mix would have diminished the significance of this moment – and added needless shots where the focus was of Alana/Jack/Will. We already know what Hannibal is capable of, so there’s no sense showing it again from a storytelling perspective.
Anyway, those are my two et ceteras.

The comments about the timing of arrival of emergency personnel are, I think, off base. I have much less trouble with that – it seemed like a long time but the entire sequence took much less time than it seemed, given the “talkiness” of the exchange between Will and Hannibal – than with multiple other moments earlier in the season where Hannibal seemingly bent the space-time continuum to accomplish his various missions. Once they went this route, I agree – H. *had* to get away, unless they were planning to segue immediately into RD/SOTL story lines. Given Fuller’s statements to another site today, it seems he *is* staying true to the Will/Hannibal confrontation outcome, at least, in the books – meaning Will will survive. I feel fairly sure Jack will as well, which leaves Alana’s and Abigail’s fates in question. (Thus I feel fairly comfortable in saying, “Ladies, RIP.”) Overall, this was one of the finest season finales *ever,* in my book, and certainly the finest of this season. After the crushing disappointments that were CASTLE, REVOLUTION, and others, I am downright giddy again. Traumatized and in desperate need of a few minutes with my wubbie, to be sure, but giddy nevertheless.

That’s exactly what I thought. While Hannibal was leaving the scene I actually said, “Where the Hell are the police?” And the sight of Will, bleeding to death, yet still crawling toward Abigail to try to save *her* RUINED me. That is a scene that will stay with me for a long time.

Amanda drops mic (and #2 pencil) and walks away! The synopsis is very well written. The show was brilliantly acted and each actor deserves AN Emmy, A Golden Globe and even that MTV space dude. There needs to be a separate category for Mads Mikkelson. That jump across the kitchen counter was amazeballs (no, I’m not sure of the correct spelling of this made-up word).

As great as this show is, the ratings are low… It got renewed because of the low cost and the very favorable critical reviews… pushing it out of sweeps was actually a good thing since it had little competition though I did watch Continuum live on SYFY.. The problem with this show is it is a tough watch for the average TV viewer… Just like Hannibal, you have to have a higher TV quality taste… Great that NBC gives us another 13… 23 of this would be tough…

Technically, May sweeps ended on Wednesday, I believe. While, the general public has a vague idea that “May sweeps” is when all finales air, there is actually a set period for networks and this was just barely outside of it.

What the fudge? What is Hannibal’s shrink doing on that plane with him? Sha must be another insane psychiatrist, or is she thouroghly drugged as Clarisa the FBI agent was?
Well I am certainly on pins and needles to see how this bloody mess is cleaned up.
John, Toronto

I wouldn’t be surprised if he found out or knew that she had been contacted by the FBI and then threatened her to come with him or something. She has seemed legitimately terrified for quite a while, at least since early in the second season. Bedelia’s not stupid, so there’s probably a pretty good reason why she got roped into it.

Bedelia said last week that Hannibal could be playing with them while they thought they were playing them. This could be an example of his treatment with her, where clearly he influenced her more than the contrary. Also, when she is telling Jack about his “method” of persuading people, she said something about him making you think you enjoyed it (killing). To me, the writers made it clear that Hannibal was playing with Bedelia the same as with Will, and only two responses could happen: the Bedelia one, where she accepts herself as a killer who enjoys it, and Will’s, that knows he has it in him, but his moral sense is bigger.

While I’m sitting here in SHOCK at this totally unexpected turn, I’ve gotta say the fact that neither police nor paramedics showed up in all that time is a bit unbelievable, and it wound up irritating me. Speaking of irritating, Cynthia Nixon’s character made me want to punch the TV, a reaction I’ve had to her character every time she appears.

AMAZING finale. After all that “broken tea cup coming back together” talk I expected Abigail to be alive, but I did not expect her to push Alana out a window! Bloody hell, that’s when it all went haywire. I really hope Alana survives, as well as Jack (but I’m not optimistic about him), and Abigail surely looks to be a goner.
That said, hell yeah Hannibal and Bedelia flying off into the proverbial sunset together. Murder lovers all the way! Can’t wait for season 3 and more Gillian/Bedelia :D

I think that Will may survive for season three, I think that Hannibal, having shown his precision accuracy with a blade, provided Will with an injury that was on the cusp of being fatal, but still survivable if Will chooses to fight and survive. Him stating that all Will needed to do was lie back and drift off into death potentially serves as an indicator of that choice. Hannibal’s murder of Abigail (and potentially Jack and Alana) shows how he has taken away from Will everyone close to him, and he has to choose whether to give up having lost everything, or to stay alive with the sole purpose of catching Hannibal. If Hannibal wanted Will dead for certain he could have inflicted a more finite wound. Instead he gave Will a choice, maybe as a sign of his own twisted love/respect for him.

This is all speculative and could be way off base, but in the event Will does survive I think this is a possible explanation. If will was to die the only possibility I can see is that Alana would have to survive and take over the role as main character, otherwise there isn’t really anyone with history with Hannibal that would serve as a driving force for his capture. For example Clarisse in Silence of the Lambs builds a relationship with Hannibal based off their discussions while Hannibal is in captivity, but introducing a new main character who has never interacted with Hannibal in any way seems counter intuitive of the format of the show.

So now I guess we’ll all have to agonize until the season three premiere. It can’t come soon enough!

Wow, great take on the ending, and who does/doesn’t survive. I’m inclined to agree that the lead characters Will and Hannibal will survive, as the main pillar of the show’s theme is the bond between them, signifying the battle between our civilazed selves, and the monster all of us carry within. OK I’ll speak for myself.

Abigail just watched Will get sliced open like a deer during hunting season …and when Hannibal calls her over toward him she just calmly trots on over into his arms??? REALLY ??!! This white Bit** would be running her butt out the door as fast as possible!

I’m in bloody shock…..i thought the kitchen fight was shocking but…Abigail alive again and now so it seems dead yet again…ummm. i however hope Cynthia Nixon’s character is not back..that woman annoys me a lot. I just spent the last 15 minutes crying and calling Hannibal a brilliant bastard…

I can’t even begin to explain the exquisiteness of this show. SO well written/shot/acted. It is literally a work of art…. a very twisted work of art, but art none-the-less. Amazing show. SO happy it got a season 3. Even makes up for all my other sad cancellations. Brilliant. Just absolutely brilliantly done. GILLIAN!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?????!!!!

When Alana called Will and the FBI showed up, he knew that Jack would not have back up, which is the only chance he would have had against Hannibal. One way or another Hannibal would win, so Will’s only hope is that he would leave before he had a chance to kill Jack. After all, he already indirectly got Beverly killed. Of course, Hannibal also knew Will was working against him so he didn’t do as Will hoped.

I thought the police took a long time to show up as well; but then I got to thinking: there is no real way to know how much time passed. This show does strange things with time. Also, the cops can take a really long time to show up in real life when you call 911, so I believe it is possible that they took a long time to get there, if that is indeed what happened.

That show just lost a viewer forever tonight. I do not plan on watching season 3 or any other season of that show. I don’t see how they could have another season. How much more gore and perversity can possibly be conjured up after tonight? It’s just one continuous bloodbath after another with the bad guy winning and no redeemable qualities to make things feel right again. Not only will I never watch Hannibal again but I will never watch ANY show with that kind of violence in it ever again. I watch television to unwind and relax. All this did tonight was to leave me angry and shaking.

‘Angry and shaking’…hmmm, isn’t that what a good, classic tragedy is all about? To stir the soul ,and reflect on our situation, and on the nature of our being? I find it ironic that the Holy Bible is one of the most violent lit in history, not to mention Greek tragedy and Shakespeare…

I don’t know if this is a troll, but if you watch television to feel gratified, reaffirmed and happy there are plenty of shows for that. Not sure why you’d be expecting any cosmic justice and moral righteousness from Hannibal if you’ve been watching it up to this point.

Troll? sure, only if you are too. I’m simply stating my reaction to the episode the same way everybody on here does. That doesn’t make me a troll. Plenty of people on here were just as shocked. I wasn’t expecting happiness but I suppose I’m more used to watching shows that do have some moral righteousness in the end or otherwise we could all just watch the nightly news. The show The Mentalist comes to mind. Red John did get his in the end but it did take a few seasons first and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the amount of graphic violence on any other show that I actually watch like The Mentalist, Bones, CSI, NCIS. I had started to watch The Following but after just 2 episodes, I decided it was going to be nothing but a continuous bloodfest from one show to the next. But somehow Hannibal seemed to suck me in, I think because I really wanted to see him get caught and dealt with.

Seriously. What do you expect from a series about a cannibalistic serial killer? Just from title alone you’d expect to see people getting killed. If you’re looking for a sit-com in a show entitled Hannibal, then you’re watching the wrong show. :)

You have that right and I applaud you for stating your feelings. Here’s hoping you stick to your convictions and follow though on your statement. I to feel strongly about the afore mentioned show, for that reason I will NOT miss an episode. For every reason that makes you so opposed – drives me to this fantasies

I don’t really see how this was much worse than the series premiere. Or, how were you not bothered by Mason Verger cutting off his own face and feeding it to Will’s dogs and then eating his own nose? Have you ever even watched any prior episode? And there are plenty of places they get to go into season 3. We don’t even know who died yet. I mean, good for you and your convictions, but I have a hard time believing that if you felt that way about violence that you stuck with the show for 2 seasons already.

Those are an awful lot of assumptions. I never mentioned if I have had ever seen an episode of this show before, let alone 2 whole seasons. I never mentioned any scene about somebody cutting off parts of his own face or any reaction I may have had to it. I never mentioned if I had seen the series premiere either. And frankly, there is something about this show that does keep you coming back whether you want to or not. Maybe it is the strong desire to see evil meet it’s fate once and for all. Whatever it is, the stronghold has been severed. If I really want to know, I can read the books.

The finale sucked! The writers are making Hannibal more cunning, almost superhuman, than the character in the book. I appreciate a new interpretation of a story, but the show crossed the boundary of absurdity tonight. Hannibal Lecter is a scary character, but Will was smart enough to stop him, do he was still human. They turned Will into a blathering, hesitant weakling to make Hannibal more dangerous than he is. I hated that Will hesitated tonight, and Alana tells him about Jack buy not Abigail before he enters the house.STUPID STUPID STUPID

Dude. Hannibal always had those gifts in the books. It’s just that he’s younger and in his prime in this series. Will was smart enough to catch him but ultimately failed because he didn’t account for Hannibal’s superhuman olfaction and Abigail being alive. Also, I don’t know how you could say the finale sucked when the visuals, music, and plot were great. I guess you’re just trying to be cool and be the contrarian. Also, Alana only telling Will about Jack is perfectly fine. She fell from the upstairs window and into hard concrete. You shouldn’t expect normal brain function from a person who experienced head trauma. Will wasn’t a weakling. He was hesitant because he was unsure if he was gonna go through with it. Even though he hated Hannibal and wants him caught, he probably really looked to him as a sort of friend. Oh, Jack and Will could’ve succeeded if that FBI woman didn’t muck up their plan since Jack wouldn’t have went to Hannibal’s house without back-up. :)

You’re not alone. This was terrible. I’ve loved the series until now. The problem with it, that seems to escape most viewers, is that Hannibal has always been a step ahead because of his brilliance. In this episode, he doesn’t even have a plan. When he realizes Will has been near Freddie Lounds, and he expects betrayal, all he does is wait for them to arrive. Fortunately for him, they arrive one by one, just in time to be dispatched in turn. Purnell was warned by Alana that Jack and Will might act on their own, but somehow, there were no officers ready to respond, giving Hannibal as much time as he needs to fight, stab and expound to his heart’s content. When he sees Will walk in, he has to know that Will has called the police, yet Hannibal takes his time. I was wanting to shout, RUN STUPID! No? You’d rather talk a while and then easily and casually stab a man who has been able to kill other ruthless monsters?

I’ve watched this show because it is intelligent and engaging. This ending fell away from the high standards the show had strived to maintain. In this episode,implausible convenience and spectacular luck are Hannibal’s main assets.

He did have a plan, though – he had disarmed Alana’s gun and knew she was new enough to owning one that she wouldn’t check the clip beforehand. He planned to use Abigail as a secondary force against her and to throw people (namely Will) completely off their game. For all we know the reason for the police’s tardiness may also have been due to somehow he did beforehand (blocked the road, perhaps?). He might have known before Jack arrived that the FBI backup had been withdrawn and the guy was alone without his gun. It’s not his usual sort of plan, but those have been formlated over months and this was done in a few hours, maybe less. Luck *was* on his side to a certain degree, because some of these precautions could have backfired, but it wasn’t luck alone that saved Hannibal.

I totally agree! Wil Graham is way smarter than this pseudo, bizarro Wil Graham they created. They’ve reduced Wil Graham to a clumsy, eccentric cop. He is suppose to be way smarter and even smarter than Hannibal. That is how he catches him. I was already bothered when they explained that Lecter was druging Wil in the first season and running circles around him. It made him look inferior and he is not! He is more clever than Hannibal. Why are they changing that about him. I understand they are making more of the story because it is brief in the books. Stretch it but don’t change or take away the characters strengths. The way this season ended, they make it absolutely clear that Hannibal is smarter. Not Wil. My guess is when and IF they ever catch Hannibal, because they’ve changed the story so much who knows what they’ll completely re-write next, they will probably explain it as dumb luck or Hannibal will have to turn himself in, further solidifying him as infinitely smarter than anyone even Wil and that is not accurate.

Will Graham has never, in any incarnation, been smarter than Hannibal Lecter. Re: Red Dragon:
“Then by implication,you think you’re smarter than me, since it was you who caught me.”
“No, I know I’m not smarter than you.”
“Then how did you catch me?”
“You had…disadvantages.”
“What disadvantages?”
“You’re insane.”

re: Silence and Hannibal, Dr. Lecter is a polymath\polyglot with an IQ that can’t be measured by “any instrument known to man.” Will simply possesses unlimited empathy expressed in visual spatial/reverse narrative terms combined with extensive psychological training. Lecter’s intelligence encompasses Graham’s abilities; Graham’s abilities do not encompass Lecter’s.

To say nothing of the fact that Jack Crawford has been reduced to a manouevrable pawn. No way would the Jack C. of the books put himself in such a foolishly vulnerable position. And the long con ploy is pure amateur hour.

Can’t wait to see it – we had a delayed basebal game on and in all honesty, I HATE sports – there was NO Hannibal finale for me last night and have to wait for it to be on “On Demand” – sucks – but I HAD to read all about it above to get a “taste” of what I missed – sounds absolutely awesome and can’t wait to actually see it.

So was Doctor Bedelia in on it with Hannibal all along? Thought I saw a little smile from her in that final scene on the plane. Was she coerced by Hannibal or under his thrall a bit like Abigail? I’m wondering whether S3 will be the hunt for Hannibal now. Let’s hope some of those injuries aren’t as serious as they looked! Abigail seems like a definite goner but there is hope for the others. Hope Alana makes it! Love Caroline Dhavernas.

I was wondering that, too, about Bedelia. Maybe everything she said to Will and Jack this season was part of a setup. I’d like to see Alana back, too — but I’ve been assuming she wasn’t going to make it past the end of the season. If Jack and Alana don’t make it, I could see Will on his own, with just an uncomfortable connection with Freddie Lowndes in s. 3.

The network and producers need to explain on a wider level that this is not a prequel to the movies, but a complete retelling of the Lecter story with the books to get redone in later seasons. I had stayed away as not interested until I found this out. It’s a great show, but needs more press on this point. Just my opinion.

When the moment comes,” Hannibal and Will both ask, their faces morphing into a horrifying split-screen mask, “will you do what needs to be done?” Should be Hannibal and Jack.

LOVED and was completely stunned by the finale, but my question is, how long does it take for anyone to respond to an emergency respons call? Or for FBI to arrive? Wouldn’t you think they would head to Hannibal’s knowing there was a plan in place once they couldn’t find Will at his house?

That scene in real time wouldn’t have taken more than mere minutes…but was stretched out due to the fleshing out of each individuals place within the one scene. Another thing I live about this series. IT really makes you think.

I agree, that scene would have happened quickly, but Alana had also gone to Cynthia Nixon’s character and told her Jack would continue with the plan. She said they were heading to arrest Jack and Will. One would think they would also send agents over to Hannibal’s house.

There’s so much going through my head. I think they’ve shown at this point although it’s a prequel to the books, they’re not scared to change it up (for instance, if Chilton really is dead that’s a major difference from the books) I literally have nothing bad to say about this show, it’s like the tv Gods came together and found amazing actors, writers, directors, etc and said “Hey here’s a show, do it.” Although I have very high doubts Will dies (he seems way too essential to the plot even if it goes in a new direction), I am left in complete uncertainty as to if Jack, Alana, and even Abigail will live. Bryan Fuller did an interview last night and said season 3 is going to take a dramatic turn, and I think they’re building up to reaching the book storylines Fuller has planned out while at the same time incorporating things already (such as Hannibal stabbing Will like in the beginning of “Red Dragon” and Hannibal being a fugitive as he was in “Hannibal” The slow build up for 2/3 of the episode was surprising to me, but it was beautifully done and just made the ending become even that more suspenseful. Then the last twenty minutes literally had me glued to my tv and having one “WTF!” moment after another until the very end with Hannibal and Bedilia on the plane. Everything is up in the air as to where the show is going to go and what it means remains to be seen but I am beyond ecstatic at this point. Just two seasons in and I already have it as my personal favorite show of all time and it’s very tough to put it in front of Breaking Bad and Dexter (Dexter as a whole, it did have some bad seasons) As a huge fan of the books and movies I really want to commemorate Bryan Fuller and everyone else involved in this show, it sounds ironic but for the show to be a “prequel” of something already done it is still without a doubt the most original show that’s been on tv for years. I can understand how the violence can turn people off of it, but it’s not the same type of random killing like The Following, it’s just so creatively and beautifully done that I always want more. Bravo.

Spot on Nick!!! I feel the same way. Dexter is my all-time favorite show, fell in love with the character from the book series. Was JAZZED beyond belief when I saw Dexter come to life on television. I couldn’t imagine in my head who would even be able to portray the complex character that is Dexter…then along came…and NO ONE else can ever play Dexter again. At least not in my eyes. The series, but for series one, didn’t really follow along with the books. Which was fine by me. Left me 2 versions of Dexter I can’t refuse. (I didn’t like that ending for the series.) I have yet to get the latest book out now because I don’t want to know if what I fear is true, no more Dexter books either. :(

Now we have Hannibal. When I saw the series was going to start, again thrilled because I was having lingering withdrawals of Dexter, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of it. Didn’t think it would do justice to the character I loved in Silence of the Lambs and then the books. Ohhh but it did. I couldn’t imagine anyone playing the character of Hannibal other than Sir Anthony Hopkins…then along comes Mads. He NAILS the character and fleshes him out so irresistibly well. Me and my friend joke about how the few sex scenes in the show towards this season’s end left us all … and how can we be all hot and bothered over a freaking cannibal. LMAO! Great acting all around. Will’s gift and his gifts wounded innocence being twisted and manipulated by Hannibal is so fascinatingly cruel. Laurence Fishburne’s name and his normally great acting brought me to actually watch episode one of the first series…so VERY glad I did.

Last night me and a long-distance friend watched it together and were texting during commercials. Both of us were like “WTF?!?!” pretty much the entire hour. Ha. I also thought the visuals last night were just gorgeous.

Well call me too involved but, in the opening scene of the season jack and Hannibal were eating dinner and remembering their newly deceased friend. “Will Graham “. Also earlier in the season Hannibal went to kill his therapist but she “left town ” (Gillian probably had to many acting jobs going on) before he could kill her. As a episode the finale was riveting but for the series the finale made the series “jump the shark ” for me at least. But of course I will be watching the series till the end.

Well, in regards to his therapist friend, she DID previously leave town, but returned one or two episodes ago. I think you can’t really critique him leaving with her until next season when they presumably delve deeper into that story line. I will have to rewatch the first episode of the season to check out the whole “deceased friend” thing.

I liked the ending , in the book Hannibal ends up leaving with Clarice instead of chopping his hand off like in the movie, i liked that the series surprised me, i din’t expect it , also liked how in the end , Will sees the black stag gasping for air just like him , all this time the series suggested that Hannibal has represented by the stag in Will’s mind, but all along the stag was Will’s darkness and fears.

I feel like the women on this show are either really stupid, or pretending that they are really smart but in reality, really stupid. With the exception of Beverly(who is dead!). I am a female too, and would so love to root for another fellow female, but MY GOD, they are a dumb bunch.

I just watched the finale, and that was incredible. It takes a lot to surprise me and keep me on the edge of my seat, but this show did it!!! Those final shots of all the wounded bleeding out while Hannibal just walks away…absolutely amazing. Hugh, Mads, Fuller, the DP, the writers–all should be nominated for Emmys!!